The Mexican Rainbow Gathering. 2007-8.

The Mexican rainbow gathering was formally titled the “Intergalactic rainbow experience”. It was held between 24th of November 2007 and the 21st of February 2008 at El Desengano, near Las Choapas, Veracruz.

The site was on the Nanchital River downstream of the confluence with a tributary variously known as a “blue river” or “crystal light river”. This is on account of its remarkable and intense blue coloured water. The tributary emerges with some force out of the ground at the base of a high cliff. This place is considered to be sacred with significant spiritual values and was about 1km away from the encampment. The Nanchital River, for the record, has a green colour.

It lasted three months, including the seed camp and clean-up and included in its objectives the concept of setting up there, or in the vicinity, an intentional eco community which would serve as a model for the implementation of rainbow ideas. The group responsible for scouting (site identification and for the various prep work) were the Nomadsunited horse caravan, a group of young people, actively spreading the ideas of environmental sustainability, community and peace in South and Central America.

Attracting 700-800 people in total, the gathering was badly affected by flooding at first. On 28.1.2008 there were 300 on site. Another point of difference was that the event was held on private land of a local cattle farmer.

Rainbow gatherings are “clothes optional”. At this gathering nudity was more the rule than the exception, and so was characterised by nudity, perhaps as a reaction to the clampdown on nudity at the Thailand Gathering in 2006 or more probably because the Mexico Gathering was an alternative gathering, if you like an alternative to the alternative. Skinny dipping was very popular in the Nanchital River. Rainbow events are known for unorthodox and spontaneous activities. Several times the river flooded an acoustic pit for drumming and this was turned into a venue for naked mud wrestling. This if anything exemplifies in particular the the joix de vivre of Rainbow gatherings. There was naked mud wrestling on several occasions : 28.12.07, 30.12.07 and 7.1.08. Overall the amount of nudity was more in line with Russian Rainbow Gatherings. Nudity appears to have been common in and around camp sites. In the communal areas nudity was not uncommon, such as in the kitchen and in workshops. It was not unknown in sporting activities. The Google video of the Gathering shows a group of four brothers throwing a frisbee on the central concourse, near the sacred fire, on 10.2.08. One is naked with a prominent penis which swings about in a very pronounced way. The group are Americans from the west coast. Meanwhile around the sacred fire itself there is singing and chanting happening, a workshop underway, seated groups and brothers and sisters coming and going. Nudity was an accepted part of the Rainbow lifestyle at Mexico. Members of the Gathering are known to have made a pilgrimage to the sacred source of the blue river naked on 5.2.2008, in this case the nudity had a particular spiritual significance. The semi-official video of the Gathering was designed to give a fair representation of life at the event. The inclusion of footage showing a naked brother in a frisbee game as in any motion picture is a result of a conscious decision, so the question would be, does the footage assist with the purpose of the movie. In this case it underlines the Rainbow position on nudity in that it shows nudity juxapositioned with an number of other activities in a way which would not be found elsewhere such is the case with naked swimming or nudity in the camps. It also shows male nudity as it can be in reality. Women were often bare breasted and sometimes fully naked at the gathering. In the kitchen area women were commonly bare-breasted and full nudity was not unknown. Another image of the event shows two nude women, one pregnant, in the kitchen tent serves illustrates the latter point.

The gathering as mentioned was affected several times by flooding. This caused considerable dissention and people left. This was during the seed camp. The following is taken from an account. On the night of the [second] storm Sebastian and Tim were the naked heroes that rescued other people's camps [five were destroyed] and brought supplies from the semi-flooded kitchen. On the 3rd day of rain, the cops came with relief supplies and the sun came out. This was 4.1.08. A number of rainbows lost everything to the flood, passports and clothing and were left naked. The flood occurred at night. The official dates were as follows: Seed camp (24 November - 7 January including Full Moon ritual on 24.12.07 and New Year's celebration. Intergalactic rainbow gathering (8 January - 21 February 2008). Full Moon and Eco-community initiation (21 February 2008).